A petition with more than one thousand signatures is due to be put before the council in a bid to save a Birch Hill care home from closure.

Carol Brooker from the Health Advisory Group will submit the 1,200-signature petition to Bracknell Forest Council’s adult social care overview and scrutiny meeting toight as part of a campaign to save Ladybank care home from closure.

She said: “Various local residents got involved with the petition back in October and November, around the time the consultation started. It has been a bit awkward to collect signatures because of Christmas, but it’s wonderful what they have achieved in that short amount of time.”

The council is proposing to close Ladybank as part of its strategy to modernise older people’s services and estimates around £600,000 would need to be spent to bring it up to standard, as well as replacing the boiler. The care home has 23 beds, but only 10 are in use and it last operated at full capacity around two years ago.

Last month an elderly resident at Ladybank died after suffering a fall while visiting alternative accommodation.

Vera Walters, 90, lived at Ladybank in Birch Hill for the last three to four years and was taken to visit Heathlands Residential Home and Day Care Centre in Wildridings on Monday, December 12, but suffered a broken hip and was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital.

She underwent an operation the next day but developed a chest infection and died on December 23.

Her son Terry Walters said: “I knew nothing of the arrangements but someone from Ladybank rang me and said ‘did I know my mum had been taken to hospital?’.

“They had taken her to Heathlands but why would she be looking at another home? It’s not as if it’s going to close tomorrow.

“I rang up Heathlands and asked what happened and the lady said ‘we dropped her, but we have got witnesses’. It turns out they dropped her moving her from one wheelchair to another.

“It’s just negligence.”

Glyn Jones, director of adult social care and health at Bracknell Forest Council, said: “The council wishes to express its sincerest condolences to Mrs Walters’ family. The council is unable to comment on individual cases, but can confirm that all procedures were followed and a full investigation has been carried out into the circumstances leading to Mrs Walters’ admission to hospital.”